Teacher, students had roles in 'Last Airbender'

They will demonstrate before screenings in Boyertown.

August 06, 2010|By Amy Longsdorf, Special to The Morning Call

Before Donnie Ellixson Jr. was ready for Hollywood, he had to learn how to throw the wrong kind of knuckle sandwich.

Ellixson, owner and operator of Ellixson's Tae Kwon Do Academy in Boyertown, knows that the most powerful punch is also the most efficient one. But as the accomplished martial artist was training for his role as a stunt fighter on "The Last Airbender," he had to forget fight basics in favor of Hollywood-style kung fu.

"They wanted us to punch wildly, in a circular motion," says Ellixson. "So, we had to exaggerate our punches because the camera picks that up better."

Not that he's complaining. Ellixson had a blast spending six weeks on the set of "The Last Airbender" as one of the 200 or so water soldiers doing battle in the background of the film's many action sequences.

Now he and his elite team will be in the spotlight Friday, next Saturday and Aug. 15 when a red-carpet screening of the film is planned at the State Theatre of Boyertown.

Ellixson was in his dojang in Boyertown when Cindy Parks, one of his black belts, made him aware of open auditions for "The Last Airbender." On a whim, Ellixson decided to take his National Demo Team — Ellixson's Elite — to the Spectrum in Philadelphia to try out.

The gang of about 25 martial artists, ages 7 to 36, arrived early, placing them near the front of a long line of thousands of applicants. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, three of Ellixson's students — Cris Zaharia, 17, Braedon Walters, 10, and Eric Nice, 7 — were cast in the movie as extras.

Then three days before filming began, Ellixson got a phone call from the film's casting agent with an offer to be a stunt fighter. (Another of Ellixson's students, Ben Rosenberger, 21, was cast as a Fire Soldier.)

"They said I'd have to clear my schedule for six weeks," says Ellixson. "Three days later, I was in 10-hour-a-day training sessions, which lasted about two weeks, and two days after that, I'm working alongside Dev Patel from ' Slumdog Millionaire' and Jackson Rathbone from 'Twilight.' It was amazing."

Even more amazing is how Ellixson has managed to bounce back after the roof of his dojang collapsed in February following a heavy snow. Ellixson's Tae Kwon Do Academy is operating at a temporary location while a new dojang is being rebuilt.

Asked what inspired him to try and land a movie role, Ellixson says, "I really did it for the kids. I wanted them to know that anything is possible. I think seeing me and the other students in the movie might inspire them to always do their best, and to always go for it."

Amy Longsdorf is a freelance writer.

Jodi Duckett, editor

jodi.duckett@mcall.com

610-820-6704

SCREENING OF 'THE LAST AIRBENDER'

•What: Members of Ellixson's Tae Kwon Do Academy in Boyertown, who perform in the film, demonstrate before a screening.